Just going on the Second Set of this recording and I don't usually take a run at a reviewer but can i tell you sir 1 star that just getting out of the door and down to the street to see a show at Red Rocks is one star.
If I got myself to Red Rocks and Jerry unplugged and said we are all going to sit on these rocks drops some o. sunshine and watch the clouds below that would still be one freaking star reviewed.
This is a nice creative Set.-- Miracle opener with Donna singing her donkey off.
Then a Garcia ballad. Help me remember oh yeah B.E.Women. When they played this in 85 at my only Red Rocks shows I nearly fell off the side of a cliff.
Here it is in a rare 2nd set appearance-Shining Brightly!
Estimated --Bob & Donna Jean
The transition from Estimated into>>>EYES is lead by the guy that is 'asleep' actually it's not EYES no it is freaking the OTHER ONE and it is a ball of blazing fire.
The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.' But wisdom is proved right by her deeds."
That is in memory of the HE HAD TO DIE lyrics not performed here.
Anyway, I really dig this . The space out of the Other One is way tripped out. I bet they were afraid to use the Chula Vista Cruiser lest folks would just float off into outer space.
As a head I would recommend a close listen to anything the Dead did at Red Rocks, (i know they played a few places that you would have thought they would have just slayed it )
[ Red Rocks was some special place to see the band. ]
Coming in for the Second Verse. I know I already mentioned Donna but I wish she could have stayed on after Keith passed.
I knew there was an EYES to be had. hmmnn never hear much talk about Estimated>Other One>EYES
Oh , i love how they are just easing into the Eyes, so lovely, if I was spinning one way for the Other One-- I would now be spinning in the opposite direction for this EYES-very sweet.
The Dead did seem feistier in early 78 (that early West Coast tour was a rocker) this is definitely much more laid back almost like some of those 77 shows
This is a well developed and explored EYES they take their time to jam it out.
Jerry's voice is sounding pretty nice. 1978 was not the kindest year for him vocally. Donna front and center.
A really nice guitar solo,( I guess he does that in his sleep.)
Drumz-Take cover here come the big drums. Really the part of drumming i liked was when they beat on those big drums , the beam and some of those electronic gizmo's would often freak me out. i always tried to watch drums and most importantly dance thru it. Not always possible but seemed to help me make it through the weirder D>S.
-- See they got some kinda of weird stuff going on and somebody is jack hammering and i think Phil or Mickey is chanting.
Question does this recording contain two of the same drumz tracks???
Is it possible they chanted twice ???
or is the same drumz here twice???
i am a little befuddled by the drum thing.
Phil is making my ears humm with his bass in Space.
Almost seemed like they were going to play Passenger or the Wheel for a brief second.
The only version I had of IIHTWTG was Cleveland 78 and that was a wild set.
Always liked World to Give-- surprised Jerry didn't play it with JGB it seemed much more a Garcia band tune.
And i would say this tune is as transparent as Garcia got with his own songs perhaps only more vulnerable on some of his early Beatles covers.
The 1 star review aside there are some good and insightful comments on this show even from folks who were not totally thrilled with it.
I have noticed i tend to like shows where the Grateful Dead break out new songs. perhaps it just causes them to take it off cruise control.
The jam in World to Give is jagged you know it almost reminds me of some of Garcia 's guitar playing during VICTIM but in no way off the same flavor or vibe.( Actually it might be Weir i am picking up on.)
To transition that into Aiko is bizarre to say the least
World to GIVE>Aiko,AiKo--Who would have thunk it???
I love this Aiko it is so laid back. Reminds me of how Prof. Longhair would get that sound out of his piano.
Donna on AIKO!!! Listen to her sing it...
and then she goads Jerry on during the "My Grandma" line.. HEY NOW!!!
Tight jam on the Around and Around, They had to wear this crowd out big time with the thin air and throw in a UNITED STATES BLUES encore.

I came across "If I had The World To Give" and I felt the love and the magic that is the Grateful Dead. Mind Blowing!

Garcia is asleep. No energy. So many better shows. Let's be honest.

Wow
Really why stop playing this song....One of my fav ballads..in the same vein as so many roads....

This may only be the second set but it sounds much better than the other Red Rocks soundboards. The 7/8 show has a GREAT matrix I was just listening too! This SBD has clear seperation of the instruments and good levels. Some '78 SBDs have a tendency to be way too bassy and Garcia get buried in the mix. Lots of killer playing here! Great World to Give, not my favorite song but still good. Some don't like it because they think it's too commercial. I think it sounds like a song the Dead would do for a James Bond movie soundtrack! Couldn't you hear this being played during the credits of a cheesy 1978 Bond film LMAO?!? Anyone else agree? This version is great with amazing guitar solos and fine work from Keith, leading into a funky Iko. I love the '78 Iko's, definatly my favorite performed. Love the Dead at Red Rocks!

One of the few great birthday shows for this day, if not the only. What a clean recording for such a DIRTY Miracle!!! Oh, it's good! Really taking the time to enjoy this one; perfect for a late afternoon session on the back porch...Nothing beats the Grateful Dead in the high air of sunny California in the late afternoon. A few mistakes here and there, but it still remains the best for this birthday boy.

The July shows (7/7, 7/8) are really intense and intentional (first time at Red Rocks and if you've been there you know), whereas this show was way more relaxed. One reviewer was wondering why Miracle sounds so 'unrehearsed'-- it was the first time they played it. As for being loose on this night, our Boyz were known to ingest a few uh, spirits, now and then.
This has no basis in anything concrete, but I sometimes think Jerry chose to not play World to Give because its a very 'guru-ish' song, a reference he avoided like the plague. I heard that Vince wanted to revive it along with Cosmic Charlie and Jerry said, "If you sing it." :-)
Besides my speculation, it isn't an easy song to sing, although neither is Attics, and that never stopped them, thank goodness.
Creative set, very spacey.

This second set is awarded only 3 stars because the playing is sloppy in many places and after a while you will recognize that this just wasn't their night. Miracle sounds almost totally unrehearsed. So does BE Women...and they stink up T.O.O. Perhaps they were tired? Or perhaps they were hung over from the night before. Who knows? Maybe the weather was bad.
Dead Base says they, finishing up a long tour, played Red Rocks on the 7&8 of July, then went back home, and then started recording the album, and then began the Egpyt Tour back at Red Rocks.
Sound is very good, though, and there are some good times. The drum solo(s), actually, comes off pretty well for drum solos. It has a Polynesian vocal rave- up by Hart? (It sounds like someone screaming in their sleep) Then it abruptly goes into a Paraguyan duel of Timbales.
The space is ominously punctuated with Phil Bombs and very similar to the Seastones portions of 1974 shows. It meanders aimlessly into a completely and totally raging God-breathed World To Give. It is rough around the edges but towards the end Garcia unleashes his entire heart of pain and frustration and gut-wrenchingly brings himself (and us) back to the land of hope. Jerry sacrificed himself totally on this one, folks. It may bring you to tears, to an unloosing of sorrow and guilt and then, then bring you to laughter.
Just for this one epic song this show deserves a higher rating. I am guessing, but perhaps the reason Garcia only played this song twice more was because it was a too-revealing window into his soul.
But I can't give it any higher than 3 stars because overall it's a pretty off-kilter night for the GD.

I haven't listened to the 1st set - list looks unimpressive. But the Estimated>Other One>Eyes is a very satisfying jam sequence, especially the transition from Est>TOO, although I've heard plenty of better Eyes'. IIHTWTG - why oh why did they stop playing this one? This version is even better than 11/20/78 Cleveland.
Drums>Space went on way too long in 78, took up too much of the 2nd set, hence the short setlists compared to 77 (which had longer sets w/o D>S).
The SBD sound is very clean and rich.

What a delightful little find this show is.
Check out the incredibly groovy, ultra-relaxed EYES OF THE WORLD...It's like Jerry just decided to kick back in his lazy chair and take his sweet, SWEET time playing beautiful up, down and around scales on this great jazzy song.
The Estimated is equally as exploratory...the IKO is a special treat as well, and as noted, one of just 3 "If I had the World's..."...not a favorite of mine but if you're into the novelty of having a rarely played song, it's here.
Nice, odd, quirky, very independent-minded 1978 show.

the Grateful Dead played
If I Had The World To Give three times.
8-30-78 Red Rocks,
10-17-78 Winterland
and 11-20-78 Cleveland Music Hall.
Jerry's guitar and voice are wonderful.
The soundboard is squeeky clean...

great set nice long songs...the eyes is great

Note that this is SBD is ONLY the second set! It's not the first one. Still a pretty good sounding show.

This show is notable in that the Dead rolled out a few new songs, which would appear on Shakedown Street.
This is the first Stagger Lee, the first I Need A Miracle, and the first If I Had the World to Give. The Dead never cared for the latter: they only played If I Had the World To Give three times (according to The Annotated Grateful Dead Lyrics).
This is a good version of the Other One, and an Iko Iko that fits in a very nice, bouncy groove.

This is a fantastic set. I'm learning that for the very best sounding shows in the archive to seek out Charlie Miller...thanks Charlie for all you did to make this a killer collection. Its a shame set 1 from this show isn't of similar quality.
FYI there are two Drums files that are identical except for one is a couple seconds longer. Delete one before you burn, you don't need two twelve minute drum breaks that are exactly the same on your disc. But pick this up if for no other reason than the hauntingly beautiful World To Give. Why Jerry decided to shelve this tune is a mystery to me.

Someone slapped this and the Iko as filler on a tape way back when. Wasn't sure where, year, etc but dug and found out this was only performed maybe three times live. This version has always been absolutely stunning for me even though I just got a reality check here as my version was a little speedy. 5 stars for Jerry on this one.

I don't usaually write reviews of shows I didn't actually attend but this is the greatest of the four performances of "If I had the World to Give"! Note the drums during the jam at the end into a one of my favorite versions "Aiko Aiko" of all time. Note Weir's slide licks!
Augy
San Diego